Act 2

Changing Tides

~~Rainbow (Flareon) - Gargantua Forest - Center Arkant~~

"You… were looking for me?" Rainbow cautiously asked his Eevee clan brethren. The Jolteon named Spectrum seemed to not notice Rainbow's reserved tone.

"Yup." Spectrum rummaged through his adventurer's pouch. He pulled out a piece of parchment and unfurled it. "See?"

Rainbow frowned once he saw a demonic visage of his likeness smiling creepily. The words Wanted! Rainbow the Shifter was bolded and large. The reward money was scratched out. "So you're a bounty hunter, then?"

Spectrum quickly stuffed the wanted poster back into his pouch. "Oh, no, no, no! I don't care about that! Come inside, I'll explain everything."

The Jolteon gestured for the group to enter the house as if he had invited them into his home. "I mean, we don't have much of a choice…" Rainbow mumbled as the group followed the Jolteon inside.

Zephyr plucked her Braviary friend out of the group. "Oh, no you don't. We are staying out here and standing guard like we're supposed to. Get it?"

Seran rolled his eyes. "Come on. That's so boring! It's not like they're planning to break out or anything. Right, Spectrum?"

"Not in a million years!" The two heard the Jolteon shout from deep inside the house.

"See?" Seran nodded with a smile.

"Ugh." Zephyr moaned. "We are staying here and that's final."

Seran slumped his shoulders. "Killjoy."

Kricketune eyed the two guards from his position in the back of the group, noting their behaviors before shutting the door gently behind him.

The newcomers to the village made themselves as comfortable as they could in the upside-down house. Troum, still sleeping from whatever tranquilizer the Wings had shot into him, was plopped ungraciously in a corner. Spectrum sat down in a small bed that sat alone on the floor. Or was it the ceiling?

"Interesting…" Polelto glanced around the room with curiosity. They had found themselves in a cozy living area meant for a small family. Some tables and chairs dotted the floor layered on top of a nice carpet. The issue was that they were all still on the floor. "I see it was not just the house that turned inverted."

Every other piece of furniture inside the house was flipped upside-down and was stuck above them- like they were glued or nailed to the ceiling. Except, no glue or nails could be seen.

"Freaky, right?" Spectrum chuckled. "Was like that when I woke up here. Be careful, though. Just one touch-" he jumped up suddenly and touched the tip of his paw against a picture frame on one of the tables. The frame came cleanly off and into the Jolteon's hands. "And they fall back down."

"You said it was like this 'when you woke up'? Just how long have you been here?" Rainbow asked Spectrum, who had tossed the picture aside.

Spectrum scratched his chin. "A week or two, maybe? I can't really tell the time in this place."

"That will not do." Polelto's fleeting interest in the house faded to annoyance. "We cannot afford any more delays. That mining town was bad enough."

"Where were you all headed to?" Spectrum masked innocently.

"That is not for the likes of you to know." The Milotic royal lashed out.

Spectrum instead turned to Rainbow. "Sheesh, what's up his ass?"

Polelto growled and Rainbow stepped between the two. "Don't mind him. He's always like that." Rainbow heard Polelto harumph behind him, but he ignored it. "How about you tell me why you're looking for me, and I'll tell you where we were going."

Spectrum blinked. "Sure. We gotta pass the time anyway, right? I'd say get comfortable but as you can see," he gestured to the lack of furniture on the floor. "I don't have much to offer."

"I'll be fine, I'm used to sleeping on the ground anyway." Rainbow swished his large Flareon tail under him as a makeshift cushion as he sat down on the wooden ceiling. "Your name's Spectrum, right? Who exactly are you? Where did you come from?"

"You got that right." The Jolteon smiled with bravado. "My name is Spectrum, and my sister and I were sent out by my elders to find-"

"Me." Rainbow finished for him. He sighed. "Get in line."

Polelto narrowed his eyes. "Sister? Elders? There are more of you? Of the Eevee clan?"

"Uh, yeah?" Spectrum confirmed awkwardly at both Rainbow's and Polelto's responses.

"Impossible."

"The hell you mean 'impossible'?"

Rainbow interjected. "What he's saying is that the Eevee clan is pretty rare nowadays. Last I heard the Eevee clan was extinct."

"Extinct?" Spectrum exclaimed, appalled at the notion. "What kind of nonsense is that?"

"It is not 'nonsense'. It is the truth." Polelto chastised.

"Says who?"

"It is dictated by the last 500 years of Arkosian history. Ever since the unification, the Eevee clan has been wiped out completely." Polelto clicked his tongue at the duo before him. "At least until you two, that is."

"Well, those history snobs better get their facts straight." Spectrum chuckled.

Rainbow's eyes widened. "So then, what you're saying is…"

"That answers your other question, about where I came from." Spectrum's tone became sincere. "My sister and I were given a mission, to find you and bring you back."

"Back to where?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"My home," Spectrum said in a dreadful voice. "It's called Espiria, and it needs your help."

Chapter 33:

Forest Battle

~~? - Gargantua Forest Outskirts - Center Arkant~~

A few days later…

Seran enjoyed peace all his life. There was something about the still and happy air that resonated with him more than anything. A certain happiness filled his soul that felt different than anything else.

On the opposite end, conflict disgusted him. He felt only bitterness and sadness whenever he witnessed it. Just the other day, some villagers were arguing about the price of some jewelry. The stones were hard to come by so the price went up. The purchaser was very upset about that, and the minor disagreement resulted in a shouting match between both parties. Seran saw the whole thing, and it made an ugly home within his being during the duration of the fight.

He couldn't understand why such strong feelings came from everyday occurrences. It's just how he's always been- how he's always felt. Perhaps the impact his parents had on him was much greater than he had anticipated for the short time they spent together.

"Watch out!"

Seran yelped as he was suddenly grabbed and dragged down from the branch he was previously perched on. Some sort of ranged attack flew past him and his savior as they righted themselves onto a different branch.

"Stop spacing out so much, Seran!" His savior, a Staravia named Regi, admonished the Braviary. "Get your head in it!"

Before Seran could thank Regi, the bird took off back into battle. A battle that Seran was distracting himself from.

Looking down from his high vantage point he felt that dark ugliness rear its head. He saw Regi dive down low and strike one of the oppositions with an Aerial Ace, but then the bird got knocked away by a different attack from somewhere else. He lost sight of the Staravia after that.

There was nothing much he could discern from the cacophony of ranged and physical attacks blasting in every direction. The mix of bird and ground-dwelling Pokémon provided too many numbers for Seran to count reliably, but he knew the enemy force was noticeably larger. The Phantom Brigade always had that advantage. In any other environment, they would surely be the ones to win the bout.

But this was not just any place to fight. Nobody knew how to navigate and use Gargantua Forest to their advantage quite like the Wings of Wind. That was how, no matter the enemy's numbers or strength, Winds would always come out on top.

Even knowing this fact, watching his friends all fight this unseemly bandit hoard, he could only frown.

VVVVVVVVV

"Regi!"

Zephyr the Noivern shouted in concern when she saw her village-mate make contact with one of the gargantuan trees and fall unconscious. She burst over to the fallen warrior's side and held his head up to make sure he was still alive. Relief washed over her once she heard the steady breaths enter and exit his open beak.

"Thank Arceus…"

"Heh, I actually got one."

Zephyr growled as she delicately laid Regi back down. A Tyrogue smirked, emerging from the battlefield.

"You want a piece, too?"

The Noivern's yellow and black eyes pierced the Tyrogue's intimidating exterior. The look wiped the smirk off of his face, and he knew this bird would be much tougher than the last one.

Zephyr's large ears vibrated intensely. "Get out of my forest."

The Tyrogue bandit felt some sweat roll down his face. "Or what?"

Zephyr offered no second chance as a powerful Boomburst exploded from her ears. The attack left a small scar in the dirt as it traveled at the speed of sound toward its target. Before her opponent could even react, the moving air impacted him.

He flew back with incredible speed- so fast that when he eventually collided with one of his bandit brethren on the battlefield, that Pokémon, too, was swept off of their feet.

Zephyr heard a swooping noise come down from above her. She dropped her guard once she spotted Seran arrive next to Regi's body. She noticed the dejected look on his face.

"Still the pacifist? Even in a situation like this?" Her tone was judgemental, but not harsh. She knew how he felt about all of this.

The Braviary shook his head. "Sorry, but I just don't get it."

"I would think the one's trying to kill us would be a good enough explanation." Zephyr scoffed.

Seran hooked his talons along the points of Regi's midsection. "I'll at least help where I can. Can we try to solve this quickly?" He grimaced as he noted all the fallen bodies starting to accumulate throughout the battle. "I'd much rather be anywhere but here."

"Such as fraternizing with our prisoners?"

"They mean no harm to us!"

Zephyr scoffed. "Maybe not yet." She noticed her previous foe finally got up from her attack. The Tyrogue spotted her quickly, advancing to her position with revenge in his eyes. "You better get going before you're dragged in."

"Right." Seran agreed, also seeing the Tyrogue coming in hot. He lifted off with his unconscious compatriot in his talons. "Be careful, Zeph. I don't want to carry you out next."

"Trust me," she said whilst cracking her neck. "With my home on the line, I'll never fall."

Seran shot one last look of concern to his long-time friend before flying away.

VVVVVVVVV

Seran gently touched down on the rugged wooden platform high into the sky. He shifted Regi's body to lay him on his back. A few other Wings had perched on the platform, including the one he sought out.

"Field Leader, is this really necessary?"

Horus the Unfezant disengaged with his observation of the battle to acknowledge the newcomers on his platform. Upon his recognition of the injured Wing, he signaled over a field healer to take care of it.

Horus sighed. "I really cannot entertain your reservations today."

Seran shifted to the side as a field healer took over care of Regi. "This battle is seriously injuring even our own. It won't be long before…"

Horus understood what Seran meant even through the silence. "Death is a natural part of the battle, Seran. We are all prepared for what may happen when we sign up to protect our home."

"Sure," the Braviary awkwardly agreed. "But that doesn't mean it should be acceptable to get to that point. I think we should prioritize our own and fall back."

"Well, maybe you should take that up with the enemy. Ask them to get their ground-dwelling asses out of our forest."

Seran frowned. "The bandits are still far off from the village, there's no way they can find it on their own."

Horus crossed his wings. "Maybe so, but with each battle, they push further and further in. We can't risk them getting any farther- not at this time of year. We have to stop them for good."

Before Seran could retort, a small Pidove came rushing up from below. He seemed out of breath as he saluted Horus.

"At ease, Scarp. Report."

Scarp the Pidove eased his salute. He gathered himself before speaking. "Field Leader, I believe I've found the enemy's commanding officer."

Horus nodded. "Any intel?"

Scarp turned and pointed in a certain direction off the platform and into the forest. "I was sticking above the treeline in that direction, maybe a few hundred meters that way. There was a Nidoking. A lot of the Pokémon I saw were reporting to him directly. I didn't get the name."

Horus mulled over the Pidove's information before coming to some resolution. "Take a breather, Scarp, you've done the First Wing proud." Scarp made one last salute before taking off to find a small branch high up to rest on. Horus scanned the few on his platform. He pointed to three birds in particular. "You three, on me."

Horus plus his three picks all shook their feathers in preparation for takeoff. Seran was shocked at the sudden movement. "Sir, you're not serious-?"

The Unfezant shushed his Braviary underling with a movement of his wing. "War can be brutal, Seran. If drawn out for too long, it can even endanger civilization itself. That is why we must be quick and decisive. These bandits have raided this forest for too long. With winter almost upon us, we cannot afford to worry about this any longer. Winds is our peaceful home and, as the Field Leader of the First Wing, it falls to me to keep it that way."

Seran watched as the three other birds stood in line with their Field Leader. Before they took off, Horus offered one last piece of advice:

"We have to do what we can for the things we love, Seran. Even if it gets our talons dirty. Wings, to battle!" The four birds took off in the direction Scarp had pointed out before, presumably intending to nip the bandit problem in the bud.

Seran stood on the edge of the platform and looked at the forest floor. While the battle had been going on for a little while, it had no signs of slowing down. He could see more and more of both sides starting to fall, and he could only hope death had not taken them.

He dove from the top. He wasn't going to fight, but he could at least help where he could by getting the fallen to safety. He hoped he wouldn't have to do this for too long. It was in this short period while he traveled down that he thought to himself, in terms of their enemy and this battle:

What was the point?

VVVVVVVVV

Cresting the treeline, Horus finally spotted his prey. A large Nidoking standing tall near the backline of the battle. The Nidoking paid full attention to the fighting on the ground a few hundred meters in front of him, but he neglected to watch the skies. This was his chance to end things once and for all.

He signaled to his entourage following behind him. Two of his Wings broke off and flew a wide berth around their target to circle behind him. The third Pokémon stuck with Horus. They were going to commit to a precision strike right in the front with the other two providing backup from behind. It was a blitz that Horus hoped the enemy would be wholly unprepared for.

"Field Leader, watch out!"

Horus heard the warning come from his partner, but it was too late before he was suddenly batted out of the air. The Unfezant was violently flung to the ground before he could enact his plan. Before he sunk below earshot he issued one more command:

"Keep going! Drive them out!"

He hoped the other Wing heard before he roughly tumbled on the ground, coming to a dizzying stop a few seconds later. Feeling his attacker coming closer from above, Horus flapped his wings fast enough to push himself a few feet backward and avoided the downward attack.

Horus shot an Air Slash at the offending Monferno before the flame monkey could follow up his missed attack. The Monferno sprung off of his still-bent leg to launch up and over the Air Slash before coming back down into an attack stance.

"Coming to take the boss out head-on, huh?" the Monferno taunted. He smashed his two fists together. "Well, it ain't gonna work!"

Horus flexed his talons. "Whatever business your kind has with Winds, I suggest you give up before you regret it."

"Heh. I'm not exactly gonna take 'suggestions' from the losing side." Monferno retorted, now adopting a sprinter stance.

"It was more of an order!" Horus flared his wings with power, launching himself into the air while generating a Hurricane. The move acted as an updraft to carry him high up while also doubling as cover from his enemy.

Unfortunately, the Monferno was on point. The ape kicked off from his sprinter stance with a Flame Charge. The added speed from the move allowed him to deftly avoid the Hurricane. He kept running until he was met with the stump of a Gargantua tree.

He used his momentum from the move to carry himself up the tree. He quickly closed in on Horus, whose Hurricane draft only carried him so far.

"Going somewhere?"

Horus' eyes widened as he spotted the Monferno jump from the tree, getting in close to the flying bird. Horus was forced to block some attack from Monferno's leg, though the power behind that move recoiled him to one of the lower branches of a tree. The Monferno himself landed on the same branch a few paces away from his quarry.

Horus shook off the slight pain in his wing. "I see you are more dedicated than I had hoped."

Monferno smirked. "If you want to get to the boss, you gotta go through me! No other way about it!"

"Whatever it is you want from my forest, you will never find it," Horus growled.

"We'll decide that for ourselves." Monferno ended his sentence by releasing an Ember straight at the Unfezant.

Horus fell off the branch to the right but, since his talons were still gripping the branch, he swung under and around the branch. The Ember sailed through empty air as Horus then threw out another Air Slash from underneath the branch before finishing his swing and landing back on top of the branch.

Monferno cut through the Air Slash with a Low Kick before kicking off with his other foot towards Horus. He readied a Brick Break while Horus moved to intercept with a Steel Wing.

BROOOOOOOM!

The deep bellow of a horn blasted, echoing throughout the forest. The Monferno stopped his attack abruptly and hopped away before Horus could land his attack.

"Ugh! Seriously?" the Monferno shouted in the direction of the Nidoking before turning back to Horus. "We'll finish this later." His tone implied he'd rather keep fighting, but the monkey jumped from the branch and started sliding down the tree trunk.

Horus flared his wings. He was not going to let him escape. He lowered into a diving stance and was ready to boost off-

"Field Leader! The enemy is retreating!" One of his Wings shouted from somewhere behind him.

"Give chase!" He responded quickly, eyes still locked on the retreating Monferno. "Do not allow them to escape again!"

"Field Leader!" Horus felt agitation well in himself when he recognized Seran's voice. "Horus we have a problem!"

Hearing the urgency in the Braviary's tone and, against his better judgment, Horus broke his concentration from the retreating Pokémon to regroup with his Wings. He found a majority of them huddled together on the forest floor.

"What is it?" he asked Seran in a brash tone.

"Well, sir, we have a lot of injuries. Maybe a dozen or so."

Horus flinched upon hearing that number. "What else?"

"It's…" Seran couldn't muster the words. "You'll just have to see."

Horus raised his eyebrow at the Braviary's odd speech but followed as Seran led him to the large crowd. His Wings broke away solemnly as he approached, letting him see exactly what was having them act this way.

Scarp the Pidove lay on his side. To many, he looked completely uninjured- almost in perfect health, even. But to the people of Winds, there was something present that shook even Horus to his core.

"Oh, Ho-oh," Horus swore. He lowered his head sadly. "Transport Scarp back to the village. Please be careful." He looked all of his Wings in the eye, spotting their fatigue and many of their injuries. He had to make the call.

"We're returning to the village. You all did Winds proud today. You all get some rest and recuperation. We must be prepared for another attack at any moment." He scowled at the thought. "Dismissed."

The forces of Winds took a few minutes to take a headcount and assist their fellow Wings before collectively taking off back to their home. They had successfully defended their home for another day, but for how much longer could they keep this up?

One Pokémon stayed behind longer than the others. Zephyr stood alone on the forest floor, glaring in the direction the bandits had come from. After a moment, she spit in that very direction before catching up with the others.

~~? - Gargantua Forest Outskirts - Phantom Troupe Camp - Center Arkant~~

Night had fallen on Gargantua Forest. The surrounding trees had started to shed their leaves, but curiously the gigantic trees were unchanged. Their many leaves were still a vibrant green, their bark still stone hard and strong as ever.

An ambient glow of orange fire wafted over the occupied camp. Sounds of chatter and muted laughter at some poorly executed joke filled the otherwise dead air.

A Solrock hovered closely to the single campfire, attending to its ever-fading flame and making sure it never went out completely. He heard a sarcastic remark coming from one of his brethren. He shifted his eyes to the ones having that conversation, a Makuhita and a Raticate.

"I'm tellin' you, this gig is pretty much done," Makuhita warned his Raticate buddy.

The Raticate paused from eating his soup. "What do you mean?"

"Look at us, man." The Makuhita gestured to himself and the Raticate. Both were covered in bandages and adorned with bruises. The Makuhita himself had a makeshift crutch resting next to him.

He wasn't the only one, either. As the Solrock had painfully noticed, much of their party sported the same conditions as the other two. Cuts, bruises, bandages, and injuries all around. A passerby could mistake this band as a pack of war refugees, and not the righteous group of bandits they thought themselves to be.

"I can't take it anymore, man." The Makuhita continued. "We've been trying to get into this damn forest for weeks. Each day we get more beat up with nothing to show for it. We can't even find that wretched village. Why even bother?"

The Raticate finished the soup and set the bowl down. "You know what the boss says. Once we get that treasure then it'll all be worth it."

Makuhita spat. "You believe that crap? How does the boss even know about that? If it's even real?"

Raticate shrugged. "Well, cuz it's the boss, you know? He hasn't steered us wrong before."

"But you have to admit this is gettin' ridiculous! All we eat is some damn soup and berries every day. Winter's comin' quickly and we're still just stuck here until Boss says we can move on. Even he has to know we can't keep this up forever- not even a few more days."

Makuhita kicked a pebble away with frustration. "I don't get it. The boss said we'd be rich. He said we wouldn't have to worry about no damn royals or guards anymore- that we wouldn't have to suffer and starve anymore. But what the hell kind of life are we livin' right now?"

"I guess," Raticate sighed. "But the Phantom's all I got. Without Boss, I don't know where else to go, get it?"

Makuhita growled. "Yeah, I get it."

Solrock stopped listening in after that, noting the frustrations of only two of their group, but he could tell most shared their exact sentiment- himself included.

What were they still doing here?

VVVVVVVVV

A Nidoking named Artur sat by his lonesome, overseeing his camp of ne'er-do-wells. He wouldn't consider them as such, but he understood that what they did may have deserved them such a title.

Artur hucked a whole appa berry into his mouth- core and all. He chewed a few seconds before swallowing, then spit out the many seeds that were included in his snack.

"Boss?"

Artur sighed at the timid voice coming from below him on the hill. He spied his Solrock companion hovering nervously in place.

"What is it, Pendro?"

Taking that as an affirmation to come closer, the Solrock glided up the last of the hill and next to his leader.

"Well, some of the Phantoms- not me I assure you- have been wondering when we'll start the next raid. I mean, I have full faith in your abilities to lead, but the others are getting a little…cranky?"

"Cranky."

The Solrock fluttered in his place. "Maybe that wasn't the correct word. How about 'impatient'?"

Artur rested his chin on one of his massive hands. "They are not the ones who decide this troupe's direction."

"I think they understand that boss, but things have been a little restless lately with all these injuries. Some- again, not me- are wondering if this is even worth it?"

Artur eyed his Solrock subordinate and hummed. He suddenly lurched upwards into a standing position and waved his arm in a gesture towards his camp.

"Look at that, Pendro. What do you see?"

"Uh," Pendro squinted. "Our camp?"

"Heh, maybe," Artur chuckled. "But what is inside?"

"Pokémon, boss?" Pendro guessed the answer to the supposed question. "The Phantom Troupe?"

"My Troupe is more than just your common Pokémon, Pendro. Where did I pick you up, again?"

Pendro frowned. "Near the Spine, boss. My village had been raided, remember?" the Solrock looked down. "I was starving when you found me."

"Correct. You were lost, weak, without a home, and, most importantly, you needed guidance." Artur swept his higher-elevation gaze over the camp. "Much is the same with everyone here. They were vagrants and scum deemed by this Arkosian society, swept to the side by those more fortunate."

"Wasn't Bruno rich or something?" Pendro mumbled.

"And yet he still knew this was the place for him." Artur started pacing. "We are more than lowly bandits looking for a quick cut of P. We are a family, and I am the head. I must provide for the others, as the boss."

"Uh-huh. Is that why we're still here?"

"What lies in that forest with those birds is something beyond our imagination, Pendro. A provision that will last this family of ours for a lifetime- maybe even longer." A glint appeared in the Nidoking's eyes as a greedy smirk graced his lips.

"This is great to hear and all, boss, but my point remains. We've been defeated again and again. You say that Winds has a treasure that'll style everything, but we can't even find the village! We're lucky we all haven't been killed yet! Why do we still pursue this quarry?"

"Do not question my decision." The Nidoking towered over the Solrock. His shadow engulfed the smaller being, causing Pendro to warily back up. "The treasure they hold will settle everything. It has to."

"You…don't know for sure?" Pendro's voice faltered slightly at the revelation.

Artur's greedy expression turned a little devilish in Pendro's eyes. It was then Artur pulled out some rolled-up parchment. It had ungraceful scratches that were a poor excuse for writing, but the message had gotten across.

Pendro spied the name written down. "A letter from Lizer?"

"We must dream big, take big risks. We can't find freedom if we don't have the balls to risk it all. Everything's starting to come together, Pendro. Just tell the rest to hold on a few more days. Then it will all be ours. Just have a little faith."

With that, the Nidoking boss retreated into his tent and left the Solrock by himself. Pendro watched the back of his dreamer boss until he no longer could. He was tired of this whole thing, but if they just needed a few more days then surely the rest could agree. They'll be free before long.